Two Scottish Premiership sides in the bottom half of the table lock horns on Wednesday night as Aberdeen welcome Motherwell to Pittodrie.
Only goal difference is separating these two teams in the top-flight standings, with the Steelmen in eighth sitting marginally above the Dons in ninth spot.
Match preview
Four days after losing 2-1 to Rangers in the Scottish Premiership, Neil Warnock claimed his first win as Aberdeen manager in his first match at Pittodrie as his new side beat Bonnyrigg Rose 2-0 in the fifth round of the Scottish Cup last weekend.
A first-half brace from star striker Bojan Miovski, who has scored seven goals in as many games since the turn of the year, helped the Dons come out on top against their League Two counterparts and set up a quarter-final tie at home to Kilmarnock next month.
Warnock admitted that he "wasn't overly enamoured" with his side's performance, but the 75-year-old was pleased to progress to the next round and hopes that improvements will be made in their latest fixture with Motherwell – a side that the Dons have enjoyed playing against in the last few years.
Indeed, Aberdeen have won each of their last three meetings with the Steelmen, scoring eight goals in the process, having failed to come out on top in any of their previous five encounters.
Aberdeen will welcome a return to Pittodrie where they have only lost one of their last seven matches, and they will fancy their chances of beating a Motherwell side who have failed to win any of their last 10 matches on the road in all competitions.
The Steelmen's latest setback away from home came in the Scottish Cup fifth round as they suffered a disappointing 2-1 defeat to second-tier side Greenock Morton last Friday, just three days after thrashing Ross County 5-0 in the Premiership.
Motherwell were trailing at the break courtesy of a Harry Paton's own goal before George Oakley doubled Morton's advantage 10 minutes into the second half. Steelmen substitute Jack Vale pulled one back five minutes from time to set up a nervy finish, but the hosts held on to humble their top-tier counterparts.
Stuart Kettlewell vented his frustration after the match, with the Steelmen's six-game unbeaten run coming to an end, and he is keen for his team to prepare for their next fixture as best they can as the endeavour to claim three valuable Premiership points and climb away from the relegation picture.
Motherwell can head into Wednesday's contest with optimism having won two of their last three away meetings with Aberdeen, although they were beaten 3-1 in their last trip to Pittodrie in February last year.
Team News
Aberdeen duo Slobodan Rubezic and James McGarry both remain sidelined as they continue to recover from respective knee and hamstring injuries.
Ross Doohan was handed his Dons debut between the sticks last weekend, but first-choice goalkeeper Kelle Roos is expected to be recalled on Wednesday, while Stefan Gartenmann should return at centre-back at the expense of Angus MacDonald.
Jonny Hayes could replace Shayden Morris, which would allow Dante Polvara to switch over to the right flank, while Duk – who has not scored a league goal since November 1 – will hope to retain his place in attack with Miovski.
As for Motherwell, Callum Slattery (knee) and Oli Shaw (hamstring) are both ruled out with injuries, and Barry Maguire (unspecified) is a doubt, but Jonathan Obika could be in a position to start after recovering from a hamstring problem to feature as a substitute last time out.
Kettlewell could be tempted to name the same starting lineup that comfortably beat Ross County last weekend, although centre-back Dan Casey will be pushing to return at the expense of Callum Butcher.
In-form striker Theo Blair has scored six goals and set up two more in his last five appearances, and the Canadian could be joined in the final third by Blair Spittal and either Paton or Vale.
Aberdeen possible starting lineup:
Roos; Devlin, Gartenmann, Jensen, MacKenzie; Polvara, Clarkson, Shinnie, Hayes; Duk, Miovski
Motherwell possible starting lineup:
Kelly; Mugabi, Casey, McGinn; O'Donnell, Zdravkovski, Halliday, Gent; Paton, Spittal; Bair
We say: Aberdeen 2-1 Motherwell
An entertaining contest could be in store at Pittodrie as at least three goals have been scored in five of the last six meetings between these two teams.
However, taking into account Motherwell's leaky backline and the threat that Aberdeen pose with star striker Miovski, we believe that the Dons will do enough to come out on top.
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